UNN Cut-Off Mark for Social Work 2027/2028: Requirements, O’Level Rules and Screening

The UNN cut off mark for Social Work for 2026/2027 is 160 in the UTME. That is the minimum the University of Nigeria, Nsukka set in its screening notice of 13 July 2026 for candidates who chose UNN first. UNN has not released a departmental merit or catchment cut-off for Social Work for 2026/2027 or 2025/2026, and I have not found even a blog estimate for this course, so treat any exact “UNN Social Work cut-off” with suspicion.

2027/2028 update: UNN cut-off marks usually stay the same from one year to the next, so the figures on this page are what 2027/2028 candidates should plan with. They come from the latest official notice (2026/2027). If the 2027/2028 notice changes anything, we will update this page.

The figure of 200 also circulates. It is the minimum UNN declared at the JAMB 2026 policy meeting, as reported on 11 May 2026. UNN takes screening applications from 160, its declared benchmark was 200, and Social Work admits above both, though it is usually less crowded than Psychology or Sociology. This guide covers UNN’s unusual UTME rule for Social Work, the O’level credits, the Direct Entry routes (including UNN’s own diploma), how screening worked, an aggregate example and the score I would aim for.

UNN cut off mark for Social Work 2027/2028 at a glance

The 160 decides who can be screened. The departmental cut-off is the lowest score UNN eventually admits into Social Work after ranking, and it is not announced. The target score further down is my advice and is labelled as such.

UNN Social Work cut-off history

Only the figures below trace back to UNN or JAMB. None of them is specific to Social Work.

I have not seen even a blog estimate for Social Work at UNN that names a source. If a website gives you an exact “Social Work cut-off” for UNN, ask where it came from, because UNN itself has not released one.

One official figure from 2025/2026 is still useful. When UNN advertised unfilled places in October 2025 (its “advert” or shopping window), the list counted vacancies, not scores. Combined Social Sciences had 140 unfilled places on that list. A vacancy count is not a cut-off, but a programme with that many empty seats was clearly not oversubscribed that year, which is worth knowing if you are looking for a fallback inside the faculty.

UTME subject combination and O’level for Social Work at UNN

Social Work is one of the courses where UNN’s rule differs sharply from the general JAMB brochure entry. The general entry asks for Mathematics, Economics or Geography and one other subject. The brochure’s remark for UNN (and UNICAL) instead allows any three Social Science or Arts subjects, which is what UNN’s Faculty of Social Sciences page also says.

Two warnings. First, if you followed the general brochure and wrote Mathematics, Economics and one other subject, you may fall short of UNN’s rule, because JAMB treats Mathematics as a Science subject. Write three Arts or Social Science subjects with English and the question does not arise. Second, the faculty’s general rule asks for a credit in a science subject, while the course-level remark only asks for Arts and Social Science credits. The safe move is to have a Science credit such as Biology among your five, plus a credit in Mathematics. That covers both readings.

Direct Entry into Social Work

UNN’s Faculty of Social Sciences page lists four routes for Social Work, each on top of the UTME requirements:

• Two A’level passes
• Two A’level passes including Government or History
• UNN’s two-year Diploma in Social Work (or an approved equivalent) at merit level or better
• A two-year diploma in Administration at merit level or better

The JAMB brochure’s UNN remark is shorter: two A’level passes plus the UTME requirements. The diploma route is the one many working people use, and it is also why the Sociology department accepts Social Work diploma holders. Register for DE through JAMB, not through the department, and have your A’level results verified by NIPEDS, as UNN’s 2026/2027 notice required.

UNN screening for 2027/2028: what Social Work candidates had to do

UNN’s 2026/2027 notice of 13 July 2026 described an online screening registration. It gave no test date, no venue and no exam format, so as far as the official notice goes there was no written post-UTME paper for Social Work. Anyone selling “2026/2027 UNN post-UTME questions” for this course is selling something the notice never mentioned.

The route was unn.edu.ng, then UNN Portal at the top right (unnportal.unn.edu.ng), then Prospective Students and the screening form. You entered your JAMB number, generated and paid the Remita invoice, came back to fill personal and O’level details (centre and exam numbers included), uploaded the documents, reviewed, submitted and printed the acknowledgement slip. Date of birth cannot be changed after you submit, so check it twice.

How UNN ranks Social Work candidates (aggregate example)

UNN has not published its aggregate formula. Neither the 2026/2027 screening notice nor the 2025/2026 advert notice gives weights or grade points. The 2025/2026 advert notice did refer to a separate screening score with a 160 threshold, but it did not say how that score is worked out.

Several Nigerian education blogs describe the same method, and it is the one you will see most often: 60% of your UTME score plus 40% of an O’level score built from four relevant subjects, where A1 = 100, B2 = 90, B3 = 80, C4 = 70, C5 = 60 and C6 = 50. Treat the example below as an illustration of that blog method. It is not an official UNN formula.

That Social Work candidate ends on 252 out of 400. Notice how much the O’level side carries: 300 grade points out of 400 contributes 120, while every extra 10 UTME marks adds only 6. A candidate who improved English from C4 to B3 and Government from C5 to B3 would gain 12 points, the same as about 20 more UTME marks. The blog sources do not say which four subjects UNN counts, so this is an illustration only.

Merit, catchment and ELDS for Social Work at UNN

UNN is a federal university, so it admits under the federal guideline widely reported as 45% merit, 35% catchment and 20% educationally less developed states (ELDS). That is national policy. UNN has not published its own split for Social Work or any other course.

• Merit: the highest-ranked candidates from any state fill this list first, so it carries the highest cut-off.
• Catchment: UNN has not published a catchment list. It is generally understood to be the South-East states; confirm on JAMB CAPS or with the UNN admissions office before you plan around it.
• ELDS: a federal designation. UNN does not publish its own ELDS list, and I would ignore any blog that names states “for UNN”.
• State of origin: what counts is the state on your JAMB profile, backed by the LGA identification letter UNN asks for at screening.

Social Work at UNN has a smaller intake than Sociology, and because UNN’s UTME rule for it is broad, it collects candidates moved from other Social Science courses. That said, it attracts fewer first-choice applicants than Psychology, Mass Communication or Political Science, so a well-prepared candidate with a moderate score has a realistic chance.

My advice (not a UNN figure): aim for 220 or more in the UTME with good O’level grades for a comfortable chance on merit. If you are from a catchment state, something around 200 to 215 with strong grades is a fair attempt. If you are under about 190, I would prepare a second option such as Philosophy at UNN or a College of Education degree.

Step by step: from JAMB profile to resuming for Social Work at UNN

1. Get or recover your JAMB profile code: text NIN, a space and your 11-digit NIN to 55019 or 66019 from the phone number linked to your NIN. JAMB replies with the profile code you need to register.
2. Choose UNN first, and choose Social Work by name: UNN screens only first-choice candidates. Getting the course right at registration saves you a change of course later.
3. Upload your O’level to CAPS: your WAEC, NECO or NABTEB result must show on your JAMB profile. For 2026/2027 UNN wanted it on CAPS and on the UNN portal by 5 August 2026. An accredited CBT centre can do the CAPS upload for you.
4. Register for UNN screening: when the notice comes out (it came on 13 July in 2026), fill the form on unnportal.unn.edu.ng, pay through Remita and print your slip.
5. Watch CAPS: log in at efacility.jamb.gov.ng, choose Check Admission Status, then Access My CAPS and Admission Status. On a phone, switch the browser to desktop view.
6. Accept or reject: read the course name before you click. If CAPS shows a Transfer Approval, UNN is offering you a course other than Social Work, and you must respond to it first.
7. Print the JAMB admission letter and pay acceptance: pay UNN’s acceptance fee on the UNN portal. Blogs report ₦25,000, but I found no official 2026/2027 figure, so go by the amount the portal shows you.
8. Clearance: follow the faculty’s clearance instructions with your originals. Nobody can “secure” a UNN place for you on CAPS for a fee.

UNN’s homepage already lists 2026/2027 notices for its primary admission list, the Direct Entry list and lists for candidates with disabilities and foreign candidates, and Myschool reported on 25 October 2026 that the list can be checked on CAPS. Our JAMB CAPS guide explains each status message.

Studying Social Work at UNN

Social Work is taught at the Nsukka campus within the Faculty of Social Sciences, and the B.Sc. runs for four years for UTME entrants. It is a practical degree: alongside classes, social work programmes in Nigeria normally include supervised field placements in hospitals, courts, schools, welfare offices or NGOs. Check the department’s current handbook for UNN’s exact field-work hours.

Typical areas of study in a Nigerian B.Sc. Social Work include:

• Foundations and history of social work, and social work ethics
• Case work, group work and community organisation
• Human behaviour and the social environment, and basic psychology
• Social policy and administration of social welfare services
• Child welfare, family services, gerontology and medical social work
• Research methods and a final-year project

If research and theory interest you more than case work, compare Sociology and Anthropology. For a government career, read our guide to Public Administration and Local Government at UNN, and for counselling-type work, UNN Psychology.

Common mistakes Social Work applicants make

• Following the general brochure blindly: UNN’s rule is any three Social Science or Arts subjects; a combination built around Mathematics may not fit it.
• No Science credit: the faculty’s general rule asks for one; Biology is the easy fix.
• Assuming Social Work is a fallback that needs no effort: it still ranks candidates and fills its seats.
• Diploma holders registering late: DE through JAMB opens and closes on JAMB’s calendar, not UNN’s.
• Choosing UNN second: UNN screens first-choice candidates only.

UNN cut off mark for Social Work: frequently asked questions

Is 200 enough for Social Work in UNN? It clears the 160 screening minimum and equals UNN’s declared benchmark, so you can be screened. It is below the 220 I would aim for on merit; with strong O’level grades it is a realistic try on the catchment list.

Is Mathematics required for Social Work in UNN? UNN’s remark does not name Mathematics for the UTME or O’level. I would still have at least a pass, ideally a credit, because some departments in the faculty require it and it keeps your options open.

Can I enter UNN Social Work with a diploma? Yes. The faculty lists a two-year Diploma in Social Work at merit level or better as a Direct Entry route, alongside two A’level passes. You still apply through JAMB Direct Entry.

What subjects should I write in JAMB for Social Work at UNN? Use of English plus any three Social Science or Arts subjects, for example Government, Economics and CRS. Confirm on your JAMB profile before you register.

Sources and updates

The 160 minimum, screening dates, fees, eligibility rules and portal steps come from the UNN Registrar’s notice 2026/2027 Screening Exercise for Admission of 13 July 2026. The 200 figure comes from Vanguard’s 11 May 2026 report of the JAMB policy meeting (via AllAfrica), and the national 150 minimum and four-week CAPS acceptance window from the News Agency of Nigeria report of the same day. The 2025/2026 figure of 160 and the vacancy count come from reprints of UNN’s October 2025 advert notice. The UNN remarks for the UTME, O’level and Direct Entry come from Myschool’s reprint of the JAMB brochure (Social Works page). The diploma routes, the alternative O’level route and the faculty’s five-credit rule come from the Faculty of Social Sciences admission requirements page. The 45/35/20 quota is national policy, not a UNN figure. The aggregate method is a blog method, not a published UNN formula, and the ₦25,000 acceptance fee is an unofficial report. Checked on 29 October 2026; this page will be updated if UNN publishes departmental cut-offs.

Jude Chinecherem

I am Jude Chinecherem, a final-year MBBS student at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. I know what it feels like to want an education your family cannot afford. When my parents could not pay for my schooling, I had to learn how to find scholarships and work the system out on my own, with nobody to guide me. I came out the other side, and now I share everything I learned so the next student does not have to figure it out alone. This is the advice I wish someone had given me back then.